Character Relationship Map: The Lineup

Characters

• Dancer (played by Eli Wallach) — protagonist

  Dancer is a professional killer working under Julian in the heroin-smuggling operation. He retrieves contraband from unsuspecting tourists, kills a seaman and a servant during the collection, and kidn...

• Julian (played by Robert Keith) — supporting

  Julian is Dancer's mentor and a senior participant in the heroin-smuggling operation. He works with Dancer to recover the shipment, follows the instructions from Staples, and helps kidnap Dorothy Brad...

• Dorothy Bradshaw (played by Mary LaRoche) — supporting

  Dorothy Bradshaw is an American tourist who unknowingly becomes involved in the heroin shipment. After she and Cindy dispose of the drugs without realizing what they are, Dancer and Julian kidnap them...

• The Man (played by Vaughn Taylor) — supporting

  The Man is the hidden mastermind of the heroin-smuggling ring and is known for keeping his identity unseen. He meets Dancer at Sutro's Museum in a wheelchair, rejects Dancer's explanation for the miss...

• Staples (played by Robert Bailey) — supporting

  Staples is the smugglers' contact who gives Dancer and Julian their operational instructions. He tells them to retrieve the heroin, leave it inside an antique ship's binnacle at Sutro's Museum, and de...

• Lt. Ben Guthrie (played by Warner Anderson) — minor

  Lt. Ben Guthrie leads the police hunt for the heroin criminals. The investigation links the stolen bag and the dead driver to the smuggling ring, while police later locate the getaway car carrying Jul...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• The Man → Julian (Power Criminal Commander) — Julian operates under the authority of the ring's hidden leader.

  Julian is involved in the delivery ordered by the heroin ring, whose head is The Man.

• The Man → Dancer (Power Criminal Commander) — The Man exercises ultimate authority over Dancer's operation.

  The Man is described as the head of the heroin ring, and Dancer must explain the missing portion of the shipment to him.

• Staples → Julian (Professional Operational Contact) — Staples coordinates Julian's assignment within the smuggling network.

  Staples gives Dancer and Julian the deadline and location for delivering the heroin.

• Staples → Dancer (Professional Operational Contact) — Staples communicates the ring's delivery instructions to Dancer.

  Staples instructs Dancer and Julian to make the drop at Sutro's Museum before 4:05 pm.

• Dancer → Julian (Professional Mentor And Protégé) — Julian guides Dancer within the smuggling operation.

  The plot identifies Julian as Dancer's mentor and shows them working together to retrieve and deliver the heroin.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Lt. Ben Guthrie → Dorothy Bradshaw (Narrative Protective Authority) — Guthrie's police operation is connected to Dorothy's rescue.

  Police pursuing the getaway car respond to the kidnapping situation involving Dorothy and her daughter.

• Lt. Ben Guthrie → Julian (Conflict Police Pursuer) — Guthrie directs the law-enforcement pursuit of Julian.

  The police hunt the criminals under Lt. Ben Guthrie's leadership and spot the getaway car carrying Julian.

• Lt. Ben Guthrie → Dancer (Conflict Police Pursuer) — Guthrie's investigation places Dancer under sustained police pursuit.

  Lt. Ben Guthrie leads the police hunt for the criminals, and police later shoot Dancer during the freeway escape.

• Julian → Dorothy Bradshaw (Conflict Kidnapper And Captive) — Julian directly participates in Dorothy's abduction.

  The plot states that Dancer and Julian kidnap Dorothy and Cynthia to support their explanation to The Man.

• Dancer → Dorothy Bradshaw (Conflict Kidnapper And Captive) — Dancer holds Dorothy responsible for explaining the missing shipment.

  After discovering that Dorothy and her daughter had unknowingly disposed of the heroin, Dancer and Julian kidnap them and take them to Sutro's Museum.

Story Analysis

A drug-smuggling operation collapses into betrayal, pursuit, and fatal violence when an incomplete shipment exposes its participants to the criminal hierarchy and the police.

Plot Progression

1. The Hidden Shipment — A heroin ring uses unsuspecting American tourists to move drugs through customs. A stolen bag, a fatal taxi escape, and the police investigation expose the criminal connection.
2. The Timed Delivery — Staples gives Dancer and Julian a strict deadline for delivering the heroin at Sutro's Museum. The antique ship's binnacle becomes the planned drop point.
3. A Shipment Incomplete — Dancer kills people who interfere with the collection of the contraband. The plan collapses when Dorothy Bradshaw and her daughter unknowingly dispose of part of the heroin.
4. The Mastermind's Judgment — Dancer and Julian kidnap the Bradshaws and bring them to Sutro's Museum as support for their explanation. The Man reveals himself and threatens Dancer for having seen him.
5. The Final Pursuit — Dancer kills The Man and leaves the museum, but police identify the getaway car. The escape ends at an Embarcadero barrier, where Dancer kills Julian, faces police gunfire, and falls from a bridge.